Fan guard



w. KRzx-:suawsKl Nov. 10, 1953 FAN GUARD 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed D60. 14, 1950 wN QN Nov. 10, 1953 Filed Deo. 14, 195o w. KRzEslEwsKl FAN GUARD @Wam 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 FAN GUARD Walter Krzesiewski, Manville, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 14, 1950, Serial No. 200,730

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a guard construction for motor-driven fans, blowers and the like dev1ces.

t is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved fan guard which may be inexpensively manufactured and expeditiously assembled to a fan structure.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

ln the drawings:

Fig. l represents a front elevational view of a fan unit in which the present fan-guard construction is incorporated.

Fig. 2 represents a side elevational view of the unit disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary side elevational view of the fan with the support portion of the fan guard secured directly to the motor and with the cage portion of the guard being pivotally carried by the guard-support.

Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the fan guard and it illustrates the manner in which the fan-guard cage is pivotally supported upon the guard-support.

Fig. 5 represents an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 represents an enlarged sectional View taken substantially along the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 represents a side view of a hinge element employed in the present fan guard.

Fig. 8 represents an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along the line 3-8 oi.' Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 represents a view similar to Fig. 6 but illustrating the manner in which the cage is disengaged from the hinge arm.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the invention is disclosed as applied to an electric fan having a base I0 upon which is mounted the usual motor casing II, containing an electric motor, the forward end of the shaft i2 of which carries fan blades I3. In accordance with my invention, the guard is formed of two parts, generally designated by the numerals it and l5, the former dening a guard-support and the latter a guard-cage encompassing the blades I3. Both the guard-support I4 and the guard-cage I5 are preferably made as unitary devices which are adapted to be removably secured together. This construction facilitates the nesting together of the separate units so as to reduce the cost of shipping the same from the guard manufacturer to the guard assembler.

The guard-cage I5 is formed substantially in the shape of a bowl and comprises an annular rim or ring I6 preferably formed of round wire of suitable gauge. Connected to the rim I6, as by welding, are the outer end portions of a plurality of substantially radially disposed round wire members, each of which is generally designated by the numeral Il. The inner end portions of some of these wires Il are each connected to a center hub or button I8 while the inner end portions of the remaining wire members Il are suitably secured to a second annular ring I9 which, in turn, is secured to the intermediate portions of the rst mentioned radial members II. To complete the cage member, a third annular ring 2l] is secured to several of the radial members I'I. From this, it will be appreciated that the guard-cage comprises three concentric annular rings IB, I9 and 26, which are suitably connected together by means of radial members 0r spokes I'I of which several have their inner ends connected to a central hub member I8, thereby to form a unitary and rigid cage.

The unitary guard-support includes a plurality of substantially radially disposed arms 2l which are connected together in pairs at their inner end portions by means of loops 22 which are adapted to be secured to the motor casing I I, as by means of screws 23. These arms 2I, 2l are all secured at their outer ends to an annular wire ring 2li, thereby to provide a unitary structure which may be readily applied to or removed from the motor casing II through the medium of the screws 23, 23.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, it is to .be understood that the uppermost one of the guard-support arms 2I, at its free end portion, is made in the form of a hinge for pivotally supporting the guard-cage in a manner which is best disclosed in Fig. 3. More specifically, and referring particularly to Fig. 4, the free end portion of the hinge arm 2l is provided with a primary U-shaped bend 25 for receiving the cage rim I6, a secondary U-shaped bend 26 disposed substantially at right angles to the bend 25 for receiving a radial arm I', and a tertiary U-shaped bend 21 for receiving the cage rim I6. It will be readily appreciated that this hinge member is adapted to support the entire cage member in a portion with a hook element 28-which provides ai recess 29 which is openedinwardlyin'fa-.Yradial direction. The recesses 29, 29 define a circle'hav'- ing a diameter which is slightly.less..than thatY of the cage rim I6 so that wheri the rim I5 `is placed within these recesses 29, the arms-2|, 21, carrying the hooks 28, 281,.wil1 be biased outwardly from their normal positions .so as. to maintain the cage. -rmly against the'. guard support at all timesdue to. the resilient naturefof the armsll, 2I. It is also .to be understoodthatthe primary and' tertiary bends 25 andj 2'IV provided in the hinge member 2| in effectprovid,arrinwardly opening recessV which is normallyy disposed outside the confines of the above defined circleso that .Whenever the cage member is positioned both withinthe hinge recess as well as within the hook recess 29, 29, the hinge arm will be drawn inwardly from' its normal position so that this arm tends to bias the cage-member outwardly while each of the remainingarms 2 I,` ZI tends to bias the cage member inwardly, thereby to pre vent any relative movement between the cage I and-its guard-support I4. Also, itis to be observed from Fig. 3, that the hinge arm has its outer o'r secondary bent portion 2B inclined relative to a vertical plane so that the cage, when freely mounted' upon the hinge, will have its bottom portion spaced from the' guard-support. Thus, whenever the cage is positionedwithin the hook recesses 29,2 29'," the resilient'nature of the hinge arm willtend to bias the cage away from the guard-support, thereby further to prevent any movement between the cage andits support.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3'and 4, it is to be understoodthat the'hingearrn functions in the manner of a vhandle so that one may grasp the same' and carry the-fan from-one' place tov another.V Due to the fact that the bend26-of the free end of thehinge lies beneath the-upper1cage arm Il, the use ofthe hinge membervas-a handle will not tend to separate the cage yfrom its guardsupport.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention provides an improved` two-piece fan-guard. construction, wherein: the. guard-cage I5 is secured to its support I4 without theuse of any separate fastening devices.- This fan-guard may beeconomically manufactured in large numbers and due to the two-piece construction'the various cage and support elements of a group of suchguards may be respectively nested together, thereby to facilitate the economical transporta-V tion of the parts. The guard-supportV I4 for the cageI I5 is shownin the drawings as carried by the fan motor end-bell, but it will be understood that it may be carried by any other suitable portions of the fan construction. The above -described hinge member for pivotally engaging-'the cageffunctions,` in conjunction with the hook elements 28, 28, to seeurethe cage to the guard-support and at'the same time it functions as a handle whereby-the enti-re fairunit'maybe-manually carried from one position to another. It is also to be noted that since the hinge member engages not only the rim I6 of the cage but one of the arms I'l, as well, it maintains the cage in a symmetrical relation at all times relative to the guard unit, thereby improving the general appearance ofthe fan..v I

Having. thus set forth 'the natu-re ofthe invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a guard construction for a fan having a motor and fan blades driven thereby, the combination of a cage for encompassing the fan blades. and including a circular peripheral rim Iand avplurality ofisubstantially radially disposed members. eachhaving its outer end secured to the inner side of said rim, a guard-support attach'abldto'th'e'motor and including a plurality of arms with the end portion of each arm being formed as a hook for removable engagement with said rim,A and a resilient hinge member carried by said guard for. pivotally sl'ipportiiig'said cage. at the junction of said rim an'd'one of said'radi'al members,V said hinge member havingV formed therein a pair of recesses which are disposed lsub,- stantially at right angles to each other,y a rst'of said recesses being adapted'toreceive said rim while theother is adapted to receive' said one radial member.

2. In a guard construction for'a'l fan havinga motor and fan blades driven thereby; the com:- bination of a cage' for encompassing the fan blades and including an annular rim and a plurality of radially disposed meniberseach1` having its-one end secured to said rim, a guard-support attachable to the motor, a hingef'nember carried by said guard-support for pivotally supporting said cage, said hinge member being in the form of a resilient wire arm having" two opposit'ely disposed U-shaped bendsform'ed-in the free' end portion thereof, one ofsaidU-beridsfreceiving said rim while the other receives one'of vsaid radial members, anda plurality v'of -meansrcarried by said guard-support foriremovable attal'zhment with and at spaced locations about`said`rim.'

3. In'a guard construction for affanhavinga motor and fan blades driven*v therebygthe" come bination of a unitary"'bowlshaped"cage' forencompassing the'fan blades and including an annular rim and a plurality of substantially radially disposed members' each' having its one end-secured to said rim, a unitary guard-supportattachable to thefmotor, a hingemember carried bysaid guard-support for pivotally supporting said cage, said -hinge -member being-iny thefform of a 4resilient'wire arm having ltwo oppositely'disposed U-shaped bends formed yinthefree end portionthereof, one ofsaid Uf-bendsreceiving said rimfwhile the-other receives one of-said radial members, and a plurality of resilient radially disposed arms carried by said guard-support with the free outerend off-each arm'beingy formed as a hook for removable engagementwith -said rim.

WALTEHIKR'zEsIewsKi:

References cited in the fue or this" patent' UNITED `sfr21`fri1sf-Prrrlr'rs'-y Number Name y Datel 1,620,457 Gatti' ;--.Marl 3,1927 1,871,625 Luff Aug; 16;1'932 2,164,608 Cornelius Julyi,v 1939 2,259,353A Koch @m2131941 2,553,172 Carrick Mayta-11951 

